Practice conversations with yourself

Happy 2012! Thank you to all who told me they’ve been helped by this column. I would like to share one habit that I think will help you – Self-conversation. Here are my three questions to get you started.

What do I believe is possible? What are the things you wish for but never see happen? This may be time to reflect on it again. What do you need to achieve it? Which ones do you already have and which do you need to develop? Whose support do you need? What wrong habits are hindering you from achieving this? Think again; that ‘big goal’ may be within your reach as long as you go after it.

Where do I need to show courage?: Usually, it’s not skills or habits or even lack of ambition that stands in the way, but fear or a lack of confidence or belief that is based on where you are now. This might stop you from going after that big vision. You can’t even imagine yourself doing that. Of course you can; ask yourself what you would do if you were courageous enough? What would you do that you are not doing now? Don’t think courage has to be about doing something mighty. For you, it might be about having the courage to speak up more so your opinions count. So take that action and see what happens.

What baggage do I need to offload?  These are things that worked for you in the past and which you are holding onto but they no longer work. It could be not being open to a new way of doing things because you’ve always done things in a particular way or perhaps having a certain image of yourself, of what you can or not do? Indeed, anything you are holding onto that prevents you from moving forward or restricts your progress is baggage. Identify these and make a deliberate decision to leave them behind and unlearn attitudes that are holding you back.

Now take action: Identify baggage you need to drop.